Electronics manufacturer Samsung and IT services provider Wipro have each invested an undisclosed amount in US-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology developer Vicarious, Bloomberg has reported.
Although he did not reveal the precise sums involved, Vicarious co-founder Scott Phoenix told Bloomberg each company invested less than $20m. Power control and automation technology producer ABB was among the backers of a $12m round in November 2014, investing through its ABB Technology Ventures unit.
Founded in 2010, Vicarious is developing a unified algorithmic architecture that can reproduce human-level vision, language and motor control in robots. Each of its corporate backers is also working with the company on an aspect of its technology.
Wipro aims to harness Vicarious’ technology to enable machines to read text on ripped or crumpled paper, while Samsung intends to leverage it to make its own smartphones, televisions and cars smarter.
ABB and Vicarious have already developed a robot in partnership and plan to explore how advanced AI sensing, movement and problem-solving technology can be integrated into prototype models.
Phoenix told Bloomberg: “Our technology is a very long-term bet, and we want to interface with the other long-term bets being made by big companies. To do that, we need to get to see their road map.”
The ABB-backed 2014 round took Vicarious’ overall funding to almost $70m. Its other investors include Formation 8, Good Ventures, Felicis Ventures, OS Fund, Zarco Group Open Field Capital, Data Collective, Initialized Capital, Founders Fund and a prestigious line up of angels including Mark Zuckerberg, Ashton Kutcher, Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel.